Martín Fierro

Martín Fierro is a 2,316 line epic poem by the Argentine writer José Hernández. The poem was originally published in two parts, El Gaucho Martín Fierro (1872) and La Vuelta de Martín Fierro (1879). The poem supplied a historical link to the gauchos' contribution to the national development of Argentina, for the gaucho had played a major role in Argentina's independence from Spain.
The poem, written in a Spanish that evokes rural Argentina, is widely seen as the pinnacle of the genre of "gauchesque" poetry (poems centered on the life of the gaucho, written in a style that evokes the rural Argentine ballads known as payadas) and a touchstone of Argentine national identity. It has appeared in literally hundreds of editions and has been translated into over 70 languages. It has earned major commentaries from, among others, Leopoldo Lugones, Miguel de Unamuno, Jorge Luis Borges (seeBorges on Martín Fierro) and Rafael Squirru. The Martín Fierro Award, named for the poem, is the most respected award for Argentine television and radio programs.

Summary

This story is taken from the 1872 poem written by Argentine poet Jose Hernandez. Martin (Alfredo Alcon) is a gaucho and a happily married family man who is drafted by the army. Sent to a remote outpost to fight Indians, he is relegated to working on the camp commandant's farm. After his tour of duty, Martin is held at gunpoint and forced to continue working the farm. He finally escapes, but returns home to find his family gone and his home destroyed. Drunk and dependent, he kills a black man in a fight and is forced to flee. When the deputy Craze (Altar Mural) sees how bravely Martin fights against the posse, he helps Martin kill off his adversaries. The two move out to an Indian camp where white men are accepted. They are content for many years until Martin leaves when his friend Craze dies. He returns to civilization and relocates his estranged sons before having a showdown with the brother of the man he killed. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The magazine was directed and published by Alberto Ghiraldo in Buenos Aires, from 3 March 1904 to 6 February 1905; from October 1904 until it ceased publication, it appeared as a weekly supplement to the daily paper La Protesta. In total, there were 48 issues, ranging between 12 and 16 pages; the format was 270 x 190mm. It was initially printed on the presses of El Correo Español and, later, those of La Protesta.

History

The magazine began operations from an editorial office near the Avenida de Mayo, but eventually moved to Ghiraldo's own home; it was ultimately closed by a police raid.

The magazine appeared in a context in which the number of readers in Buenos Aires was increasing, as a result of growing immigration, urbanization, access to formal education, and a growing commercial press. Martin Fierro was directed to the popular sectors of this growing market. It advocated an anarchist ideology and was conceived as part of the movement among Argentine workers against the Law of Residency directed against foreign trade union leaders and activists.

Martín Fierro Awards

The Martín Fierro Awards (Spanish:Premios Martín Fierro) is the name of the most prominent awards for Argentine radio and television, granted by APTRA, the Association of Argentine Television and Radio Journalists. The awards were first given in 1959, limited to television. The next year, the awards adopted its current name, after José Hernández'epic poemMartín Fierro (considered by some as the national epic of Argentina). It was embodied on a statuette of a gaucho, by sculptor Luis Perlotti, weighing over 2 kilograms (4lb). When the award began, the sole television station in the country was Channel 7. As the media outlets grew, the awards expanded to incorporate media from throughout the country. In 1967, radio productions were included in the awards for the first time. Nowaday there is a special rotating venue, honoring the winners from all the Provinces.

Because of the censorship and persecution of artists carried over during the 1976-83 military dictatorship, the membership of APTRA dwindled and the awards were suspended. It was not until 1988 that the award was revived. Since 1990, it has also included special productions for cable networks and -in 1992- the Golden Martín Fierro was added to honor the "best of the best". In 2004, the voting became computerized to make it both more secure and simpler, as well as allowing voting to take place immediately before broadcasting.

Martín Fierro (magazine)

Martín Fierro was an Argentine literary magazine which appeared from February 1924 to 1927. The magazine was founded by Evar Méndez (its director), José B. Cairola, Leónidas Campbell, H. Carambat, Luis L. Franco, Oliverio Girondo, Ernesto Palacio, Pablo Rojas Paz, and Gastón O. Talamón, and reached a circulation of 20,000. Its headquarters was in Buenos Aires.

Martín Fierro inherited its name from a previous short-lived magazine (1919), also directed by Méndez, more committed to social and political issues, and from an anarchist magazine in which Macedonio Fernández had published poems in 1904. The magazine was named after Martín Fierro, the gaucho outlaw whose story constitutes Argentina's national poem, written by José Hernández. The 1924–1927 incarnation took a different, more "art-for-art's sake" approach. It was often linked to the Florida group, sometimes called Martín Fierro group even though some Boedo group writers also contributed to its pages. One of them, Roberto Mariani, started within Martín Fierro a debate on political engagement. Arturo Cancela suggested in a letter to Martín Fierro that both sides merge under the common name of "Schools of Floredo street", and to name Manuel Gálvez as president, as he lived in Pueyrredón street, equidistant from both groups.